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Bruce Holland

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Bruce.Holland@virtual.co.nz



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Scarcity or Plenty - Part 2

Note: if you want to challenge your team and get them thinking more strategically and collaboratively, Bruce Holland is available to talk on many of the subjects covered in these strategic snippets.

This Snippet is part 2 and shows you how to succeed in a big pie world. Last time I argued that the world is one of plenty. From your feedback I know that many find this concept hard to accept. Work on it, because I'm sure that within 5 years it will be the majority view, and those of us who have adopted it early will be in a stronger position than those who haven't.

To summarise:

Minds create ideas that lead to new technology that lead to new resources that lead to wealth. Faster information exchange is driving faster technology growth and this is creating all sorts of new resources and value. As a result in today's world there is a potential for unlimited wealth.'''

The critics will say.....

But what about the middle of Africa? And of course they are right, Africa is desperately poor and likely to stay that way for some time. But why is this? How fast is their exchange of information? How much has their technology changed in the last 1000 years? What is the state of education? How good are the ideas coming out of Africa? I rest my case.

The supporters will say.....

Neat! How do I get on the bandwagon? The Answers Are Simple:

  1. Keep up with technology

  2. Be open to ideas and feedback from the outside environment

  3. Keep yourself educated in the widest sense of the idea

  4. Share ideas and communicate like crazy

  5. Join together, break down silos

  6. Network across boundaries, and

  7. Trust people, at least until they prove to be untrustworthy.

All of these things make perfect sense if you buy into a worldview of plenty; however if you don't they are a total nonsense. I think it's interesting to reflect that the things you have to do to succeed in a Big Pie World are the same things that the world needs to create wealth and a bigger pie for everyone.

One final word. It's important to join and share, not to isolate or overprotect.

Story: A story will illustrate this.

Once upon a time 10 people were shipwrecked on a deserted island. To start with everyone had to fish all day to feed everybody. Then one day someone had a bright idea that led to a new technology called fishing with a net. Now two people could go out and catch all the fish required for the island.

The only problem was 8 people now had no job. The Council of Elders decided to tax the two fishers 80% of their catch and redistribute it to the other 8. There was a fair bit of dissatisfaction between the producers and the beneficiaries but at least the total economy was no worse off.

Now unbeknown to the first group a second group of 10 people had found their way to another island. After a period this group also discovered how to fish with a net. However this time they said to one: You have a wonderful voice why don't you become our entertainer? To a second they said: We need your skills to teach the young people. To a third they said: You have special healing powers, become our doctor. Another became a priest and so on. On this island there was no dissatisfaction or bitterness and the economic wealth of the island grew 500% bigger than the first island. Do you think New Zealand is more like the first island or the second island?

Warmest wishes
Bruce
bruce.holland@virtual.co.nz

 
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